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Chihuly Glass Exhibit Opens in Seattle

byJethro Kang
|
May 22, 2012

arts & culture

Glasshouse Space Needle Seattle / Chihuly Garden and Glass

This is one glass house you won't want to throw stones in. Chihuly Garden and Glass, an exhibition showcasing the prolific works of world renowned glass sculptor and Washington native Dale Chihuly, opened May 21 at the Seattle Center.

Spread over 1.5 acres of exhibition space, the collection is the most comprehensive display of Chihuly’s artwork ever assembled. The centerpiece of the show is the Glasshouse, a soaring glass and steel structure which houses a 1,400 piece, 100-foot long glass sculpture that hangs in midair. Surrounding the Glasshouse are the gardens, an outdoor exhibit of Chihuly’s installations. This includes his Sun, a swirling mass of yellow and orange glass that rests on a bed of black grass.

The indoor space features Chihuly’s smaller works like the Glass Forests, made up of slender glass lines that curls like the stems of budding plants, the Sealife Room, which recreates marine animals as ethereal glass sculptures, and the Mille Fiori, a garden made up of twisting glass flowers. Entry into the exhibit costs $19 for adults, with discounts for seniors and children.

The show is part of Next Fifty, an arts and performance fair celebrating the 50th anniversary of Seattle Center, home of the 1962 World's Fair. In addition to Chihuly’s works, the event also plays host to the Seattle International Film Festival, which presents a series of films and discussions related to the city’s plans for the next 50 years, a public showing of the opera Madame Butterfly, and the first ever Seattle Science Festival. The latter will offer science and technology-related exhibits, experiments, demonstrations, and games for people of all ages.

With everything from glass sculptures to films and opera to science, Seattle’s next fifty years are cause for excitement.

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